A forgotten property tucked away at the entrance to Da Lat continues to intrigue and petrify local residents and tourists alike. >> Untold stories of Da Lat – P2: Stone villa of Nguyen King’s concubine >> Untold stories of Da Lat – P1: Nguyen Dynasty’s trusted retainer >> Untold stories of Da Lat – P3: Royal partition Da Lat is an alluring resort town at the heart of Lam Dong Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. As visitors approach the town they leave Prenn Pass behind and enter Da Lat, where they are typically drawn to a large, desolate villa. The residence has long been known as a ‘ghost house’. The façade faces the road and leans against a pine tree forest. Spine-tingling ghost stories have been attached to the property, arousing the curiosity of visitors. Da Lat boasts hundreds of centuries-old French and American-style villas, lending a distinctive hue to the serene town and making a lasting impression on visitors. Over time, many have become run down and overgrown, and therefore a breeding ground for fabricated ghost stories. Several other mansions on streets including Tran Hung Dao, Xo Viet Nghe Tinh and along Prenn Pass have also been dubbed ‘haunted houses’. Among them, the Prenn Pass is the most high-profile. Rumors circulated that during French colonial rule, a group of soldiers from the French Foreign Legion, a branch of the French Army, were stationed at the villa to ensure safety along Prenn Pass. However, they raped and killed a number… [Read full story]
A newly-released book about Da Lat, Vietnam's famed City of Flowers, is riddled with inaccurate as well as plagiarized content, several journalists have alleged. The book released this month uses their material under other names without obtaining the authors' permission, they said. Co mot Da Lat o Viet Nam (There's a Da Lat in Vietnam) carries many essays about different attractions in the Central Highlands town. Reporter Uong Thai Bieu of the Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper said the story "Da Lat - thanh pho tinh yeu va noi nho" (Da Lat - the city of love and memory) copies parts…... [read more]
VietNamNet Bridge - The hill town of Da Lat has long been the most popular location in the region for getaway holidays since French colonial times. Da Lat City (photo: travel sense asia) Situated on a plateau 1,500 metres above sea level, this retreat town offers a good change of atmosphere with a refreshingly cool climate while other cities in Vietnam can be very hot and humid especially during summer. Da Lat is famous for its wide variety of flowers, vegetables and fruit from its surrounding farmlands as well as countless nature sites; its beautiful landscape, evergreen forests and minority…... [read more]
One of the most well-known "haunted" houses in Da Lat has had a makeover to cash in on its "notorious" history among tourists and visitors. The 'haunted' house at Prenn Pass Da Lat is said to have a number of "haunted" houses, but few as "infamous" as one house at the foot of Prenn Pass, Mimosa Valley built in 1930, which has undergone numerous repairs until, in 1986, it was sold to a French-Vietnamese man who died in a plane crash soon after buying it. The house under repair The house was abandoned, but it has attracted "stories"…... [read more]
A media centre was inaugurated on December 21 at No.1 Le Dai Hanh Street in Da Lat city of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to provide information and venue for reporters during the 7th Da Lat Flowers Festival starting this weekend. The centre, located in downtown Da Lat where the festival will take place, is able to provide reporters with high-speed Internet access and computers. It will be open through December 27. To date, over 300 reporters and editors from press agencies and television stations across the country have registered to cover the upcoming festival, according to the…... [read more]
Abandoned, dilapidated, wasted. This is the common state of hundreds of villas in Vietnam's famous hill resort Da Lat. Locals say another thing that is common about these stately buildings in the capital city of the Central Highlands Province of Lam Dong is that they are haunted. The villa on the Prenn pass in the city's ward 3 is one of these. Built in the 1920s, the "haunted villa," as locals call it, has stood neglected for years, and stories abound about many mysterious happenings around it. It is said that the place is haunted by ghosts of a young woman whose body was thrown into the well in the villa…... [read more]
